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"Thinking Green" Adds Beauty, Saves Money
By Steve Jones
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When you think of St. Patrick's Day, what color immediately springs to mind? The answer of course is green! For many of us, that date is also when we're beginning to see "green" reclaiming our landscape that has languished in shades of gray and brown throughout the winter.
For those of us who love the outdoors - whether we're gardeners, landscapers, hikers or cross-country bikers - the sight of that new green is a welcome one and a harbinger of sunnier days ahead.
St. Paddy's Day is the ideal time to "think green."
There are so many ways that "green" can enhance our lives and improve our environment at the same time. I was reminded of this when I visited the Web site hosted by Project Evergreen. "St. Patrick's day ushers in a perfect time to focus on the rewards of maintaining and enhancing the green space in our communities," says Den Gardner, Project Evergreen's executive director.
Invest some time now on lawn and landscape improvements and, as a homeowner, you'll reap a host of benefits both short and long term. Here are some of Den's observations:
Green for a cleaner environment: Growing a thick, healthy lawn returns oxygen to the atmosphere while helping to filter out pollutants that might threaten groundwater. Plants, especially trees, improve air quality by removing carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
Green to reduce energy costs: Proper placement and maintenance of trees for shade and shelter can reduce attic temperatures as much as 40 degrees in the summer and help reduce heat loss in the winter.
Green to add property value: Studies continually show that investment in landscaping improvements can be more than recovered when a property is sold and even add profit when attention is paid to plant size, placement and design sophistication.
If you're looking for more detailed information about lowering temperatures, reducing your utility bills, and increasing property values simply by planting trees and shrubs, you can read many relevant and helpful articles by going to my Web site www.landsteward.org and clicking on The Plant Man link. If you'd like me to suggest some suitable trees and plants for your specific situation, send me a few particulars and I'll do my best to help. You can reach me at steve@landsteward.org
To find out more about Project Evergreen, visit http://www.projectevergreen.com Or you can click on a direct link when you find this column archived at my Web site.
From time to time, Project Evergreen recognizes the achievement of groups
and individuals who create or preserve green spaces. At their site, you can find some before-and-after pictures showing how the city of Chicago, IL, has succeeded in creating some beautiful and environmentally beneficial landscaping projects.
There are some surprising facts that you might not be aware of, according to a downloadable brochure at Project Evergreen's site. For example:
More oxygen A patch of lawn, just 50 ft square, can produce enough oxygen for a family of four.
Cleaner water When your turf is thick and healthy, it acts like a filter, cleaning water as it's absorbed into the soil and the plant root zone, and reducing the likelihood of groundwater pollution
Cooler, cleaner air The grass in your lawn can trap dust and smoke particles, absorbing heat as a sort of outdoor air conditioner.
Allergy reduction A lush, dense turf crowds out weeds, reducing pollen in the air. A pleasant relief for allergy sufferers!
So raise a glass and salute St. Patrick. It's not just the wearing o' the green; it's the THINKING of the green that can make the real difference!
The Plant Man is here to help. Send questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org. For resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve's free weekly e-mailed newsletter, go to www.landsteward.org
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Perennials Reward Your Landscape Investment
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When you want a landscape that will come back - bigger and better - year after year, who are you gonna call? Perennials!
The landscape surrounding your home really is an investment in many different ways. As I've reminded you on many occasions, carefully planted trees and shrubs can provide shade to lower air-conditioning bills in the summer and act as a windbreak in the winter.
Additionally, attractive landscaping can add thousands of dollars to the value of your home when it comes time to sell and move on. Realtors will tell you how important "curb appeal" can be when potential buyers are comparing your home to others that they've seen.
I tend to think of three levels of investment when it comes to landscaping.
The first level will bring a fast return on your investment. This is as close as Nature gets to instant gratification: Annuals. Often, annuals are already blooming when you select them at the Garden Center. They add a delightful splash of color to the exterior of your home.
The third level is your long-term investment: Trees. Your investment gradually grows and increases over the years, creating an established and mature look to your landscape.
But there is a middle ground. The second level of landscape investment: Perennials.
With perennials, you'll invest some time and patience, but your reward will be many seasons of attractive, blooming plants with a minimum of ongoing maintenance.
The perennials that you choose will depend on a number of factors, including the Plant Hardiness Zone in which you live. If you're unsure of your zone, feel free to send an e-mail to me at steve@landsteward.org with your city and state and I'll check it for you.
Here are three ideas for perennials that you might want to investigate. Some are easier to find than others, so I can send you shopping information if you care to drop me an e-mail.
Achilllea millefolium Red Velvet - Achillea make ideal garden plants and seem to thrive under almost any conditions, which is good news if you haven't had much luck with your planting in the past. Once established, the Red Velvet is fairly drought-resistant and deer-resistant, and tolerates a wide variety of soil types.
During the spring it forms rosettes of feathery foliage followed by hairy flower stalks topped by densely packed flat topped umbels of numerous florets. The plants are pleasantly aromatic and are very attractive to bees. If you like dried flowers, this is a good choice. Pick them in full bloom before the color starts to fade.
Red Velvet grows to about 30" tall and produces compact heads of deep velvety red florets which have a tiny conspicuous clear golden yellow center. It makes a fine showy border plant and long lasting cut flower.
Agastache "Black Adder" - This is a Hyssop that won't swamp your garden in seedlings! This sterile, deer-resistant hybrid is a delightful new shade that produces no seeds and flowers until frost. The Black Adder has dark purple buds with lilac-like flowers and licorice scented foliage.
You'll probably find that hummingbirds and butterflies will be attracted to its stunning violet-blue blooms. 'Black Adder' appreciates good winter drainage; in fact, it's essential for winter survival. In full sun and well-drained soil, it will shrug off both summer heat and early frosts.
Anemone Honorine Jobert - Do you have some "problem areas?" You can plant Anemone Honorine Jobert in a spot that would be difficult for other plants to grow because this background plant will perform in spite of the hardships. This makes Honorine Jobert a great plant for dark corners, background nooks, and even a groundcover to mix with larger shrubs.
Discovered in France in 1858, this anemone gives a fine autumn display of pure white flowers with yellow centers and is excellent as a background plant, growing 30-36 inches tall. It is a vigorous branching perennial with robust foliage of deeply-divided, slightly-bristled, dark-green leaves.
Certainly, invest in your landscape at all three levels. But for many of us, the sight of these delightful perennials, coming back year after year, is all the return on investment we need! As always, contact me via e-mail if you're looking for more selections or planting advice for your perennials.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org. For resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve's free weekly e-mailed newsletter, go to www.landsteward.org
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Twisted and Spiky or Soft and Sweet: More Unusual Spring Planting Ideas
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"Tell me more!"
That's the reaction I've been getting in e-mail messages from readers of recent columns about plant suggestions that are…well, off the beaten path. So here are a few more "less-than-common" plants that you might want to explore, if you're looking to add unique features to your landscape.
Corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana Tortuosa) - A fascinating tree with an unusual and descriptive name. I have long admired this tree but I'm surprised that not a lot of people know about it, so I'm pleased to spread the word. The twisted, contorted branches are nonetheless elegant, as with all willows, and it is a tree that has a distinctive look for each season.
As spring turns to summer I enjoy the sight of the bright green, narrow-leaved foliage. In the fall, the foliage slowly turns yellow, and throughout the winter I frequently take time to look at the contorted, claw-like limbs and twigs. In fact, another name for the Corkscrew Willow is Dragon's Claw and I can certainly understand why.
It's a strong, hardy tree that's quite easy to grow and tolerates almost any soil, including wet soil with poor drainage. For a really dramatic effect, you can clump two or three together and watch the claw-like limbs intertwine. Trim back to a single stem if you want to line a driveway or a property boundary. Corkscrew Willows are modest in height - between 20 and 30 feet at maturity with a spread of around 15 feet.
Giant Pussy Willow (Salix chaenomeloides) - Unlike the Corkscrew, this one is, of course, a shrub. The "giant" version is quite spectacular (if you're only familiar with its small cousins) growing to about 10 ft. high. It produces silver-gray foliage in the summer and glowing red bark in the winter that sprouts red buds in the early spring that turn into rabbit's foot-size furry catkins. All of which give me an excuse to pass along the folk-tale origin of the pussy willow…
According to a Polish legend, a mother cat was crying by a river in which her little kittens were drowning. Moved by the cat's plight, the willows that lined the river bank bent over and trailed their long branches in the water. The kittens clung to the branches and were lifted to safety. And now, each spring, the branches of the Pussy Willow sprout fur-like buds where the kittens had clung and been rescued.
If you missed any of the previous columns with unusual planting suggestions, you can find them all at my Website. Go to www.landsteward.org and click on "The Plant Man" where you can scroll through the archives. Alternately, send me an e-mail at steve@landsteward.org with a few details about your landscape and the results you want to achieve and I'll give you some of my personal recommendations.
Back to my "off the wall" plant ideas…
Flying Dragon (Poncirus trifoliate) - Thinking of the Dragon's Claw reminded me of this highly unusual plant, Flying dragon This is another plant developed by the ingenious Don Shadow. In fact I'm looking at one right now. Cheryl and I like this so much that we potted one for the office! If you want to see a photo of it, drop me an e-mail and I'll send you a picture.
Flying Dragon has dense, spiky limbs that can be very useful if you're looking to plant a hedge that will deter people or animals from cutting through and crossing your lawn! In fact, I've seen it used for just that purpose on college campuses and public places such as zoos and parks.
In spring, Flying Dragon produces small white blooms that are very attractive. It also produces a yellow fruit that is technically edible but, frankly, far too sour for my taste! However, I'm happy to enjoy the beautiful sight, both of the potted version and the hedge which will grow to about 6 feet. It has extreme cold hardiness - to about 0 degrees Fahrenheit - and has good blight resistance.
So…twisted, soft or spiky. The choice is yours. Don't settle for ho-hum when you can let your landscape make a unique statement.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org. For resource and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve's free weekly e-mailed newsletter, go to www.landsteward.org
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